Let's All Go to the Lobby
by fagur fiskur
Summary: So maybe he's got a... thing for weird hot guy. Whatever, Dean's not too proud to admit it. Even if he hasn't gotten this flustered over anyone since junior high. Dean/Castiel


**A/N:** 30 (more) cheesy tropes: #24 Love at first sight (well, more like infatuation)

go see my tumblr for drabbles too short to post here (link on my author's page) and maybe bits of upcoming fic

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><p><strong>Let's All Go to the Lobby<strong>

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><p>Dean never thought he'd be the type to go to the movies alone. It always seemed like the sort of thing only desperately lonely people would do.<p>

Not that Dean isn't desperately lonely right now, just a little. Charlie's gone to California for the summer to chase after her hippy girlfriend, leaving Dean without a movie buddy. He's tried taking a couple of different dates but for some reason, people always assume that a date at a drive-in-theater means getting to second base in the backseat of the car instead of actually paying attention to the movie.

So now he's going alone. It isn't that bad, really. There's no one around to steal his popcorn or take his attention away from the movie by trying to neck him. But then, there's no one around to laugh at his stupid jokes or riff on the bad special effects with him or call him a dork for having a thing for Steve McQueen (not a crush, shut up Charlie).

It's on his third trip to the movies by himself that Dean notices that it's always the same car parked in the spot next to him: a grey, slightly beat-up Volkswagen Golf. Not only is it always there, but the guy in the car is always by himself, too.

Dean's just made that observation when the guy turns his head and looks straight at him. Dean looks back to the movie screen, face reddening at having been caught staring.

He's there when Dean parks in his usual spot the following Tuesday. This time, Dean decides to at least be polite (hey, he can be polite) and nod at the guy. The guy nods back and raises his hand, in a stiff and awkward movement. Dean, for some goddamn reason, blushes again.

It becomes a new part of his movie-going routine. Nod at the weird (and, admittedly, hot) guy in the next car over, blush like a moron, turn attention to movie like he can somehow salvage his dignity by pretending the red in his cheeks isn't there. Weird (hot) guy even starts smiling at him. The first time he does, Dean's brain almost short-circuits. The guy's got a nice smile, what can he say.

So maybe he's got a... thing for weird hot guy. Whatever, Dean's not too proud to admit it. Even if he hasn't gotten this flustered over anyone since junior high. He should be over the blushing and the uncomfortable fluttering in his stomach when faced with a moderately hot person. As is, he can't even consider going over and knocking on weird hot guy's window to ask him out, like he really wants to. He'd probably only get half a sentence out and then choke on his own tongue and die.

In the end, he doesn't need to go knock on weird hot guy's window.

He's been watching the movie of the night (Return of the Fly), only half-way succeeding in paying any attention to it. By the time intermission hits, Dean can barely remember the main character's name.

There's a knock on his window, making Dean nearly jump out his skin. His popcorn spills on the floor, which is gonna make for one bitch of a clean-up later, but it's hard to care at the moment. Because weird hot guy is standing right in front of Dean's window, looking even hotter up close.

Dean scrolls it down. "Uh, hey?"

"Hello," weird hot guy says and holy crap, he's even got a weird hot gravelly voice. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that you come here a lot by yourself."

For one chilling moment, Dean wonders whether he should be worrying about this guy. What if he's got an ax in the trunk of that ugly car of his? But then weird hot guy's lips quirk in a small smile, and Dean dismisses his worries. No one with a smile that nice could be an ax murderer. "Yeah, I guess so. I usually go with my friend, but she went to California for the summer."

"Oh." The smile drops, and Dean wants to take back whatever he said that made that happen. "Your... girlfriend?"

"No!" Dean says, maybe a little too quickly. "No, just friend."

"Oh," weird hot guy repeats, and just like that the smile is back. "Then maybe, for the next movie, we could... share a car?"

"Like a date?" Dean asks, stupidly.

"If you want it to be."

Dean doesn't trust himself not to keep being stupid if he opens his mouth, so instead he nods. Then, because since when could he ever shut the hell up, he adds, "Or you could join me now."

Weird hot guy looks taken aback, but then he grins. "That sounds... yes, I'd like that."

Then he's getting in the passenger seat. Dean allows himself to stare unashamedly for five seconds. It's only then that something occurs to him.

"My name is Dean Winchester, by the way."

He holds out his hand (which is starting to get sweaty, fuck), and weird hot guy takes it. Not shaking it, but just holding. It's ten different kinds of awkward but at the same time, Dean really doesn't want to let go. "I'm Castiel Novak."

Then the movie is starting up again, and Dean reluctantly lets go of Castiel's hand. He doesn't pay any more attention to the second half of the movie than he did the first.

They part after the movie without so much as a kiss goodnight, but Castiel does leave Dean his phone number. Three days later, they're back for another movie, this time arriving together in the Impala (like hell is Dean voluntarily stepping a foot inside a Volkswagen Golf). Plan 9 from Outer Space is playing and for once, Dean's date is as enraptured with the movie as he is, so they don't end up making out.

After the movie, though, well...

Let's just say this time around there's a lot more to clean up than just popcorn.


End file.
